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July 6, 2014

Willard Bishop's Model T Camper: 52 Ancestors

In the spring of 1929,
Willard Bishop faced a dilemma. With an auto garage business and growing family
in Garrettsville, Ohio, he liked to get away to go fishing whenever he could. A
few years earlier, he’d bought a vacant lot on the hillside shore of Lake
Milton, about 20 miles away. But where could he and his fishing buddies sleep
when they wanted to spend the night there?

Lacking the resources to
build a house, Willard fell back on what he knew best: automobiles. Born
February 21, 1892, he had started tinkering with cars as a teenager, and landed
a job as a mechanic by 1917.[1]
Why not build a little cabin on wheels?

Willard enlisted the help of
a friend, blacksmith Welty Rood. The lack of a blueprint didn’t discourage
them. They cleared out a bay in Willard’s repair shop and got to work.

Starting with an old
four-cylinder Model T Ford, they removed everything except the engine,
windshield, and front seat. They constructed a box to fit over the bare chassis.
Inside they built two sets of bunks, and installed an icebox and sink. A small
table and chairs completed the setup. Willard wired it with electric lights and
cut out windows. It was tight, but four people could sleep safe from the
elements, wash up, and keep some food brought from home.

There was just one problem. The
contraption was too high to get out of the garage.

Their only recourse was to cut
several inches off the top of the camper. Willard’s head nearly touched the
ceiling of the new top. Even then, it wouldn’t clear the garage door. So they
let the air out of all the tires, and with the help of a few other fellows,
crept the motor home gingerly out of the garage.

With the tires re-inflated, Willard
and Welty drove the homemade camper slowly over the winding road out of
Garrettsville. They passed through the town of Newton Falls, continuing down
narrow County Line Road to Lake Milton. There was no hurry; it would be her
only voyage.

Positioned proudly on the
lot, the camper reigned over the lake below. With the addition of an outhouse
and fire ring, Willard and his buddies could fish, eat, and sleep in comfort
all summer. After a long winter, it sat there waiting to welcome them back.

Soon Willard’s kids were
clamoring to go to Lake Milton, too. He started taking his three boys fishing
and boating with him. The shack, as they called it, was too crude to suit his
wife, Annah, and their daughter. Willard eventually bought a factory-made motor
home for the ladies and himself, leaving the shack to the boys. The new one
even came with a kitchen.

Willard and his daughter with the store-bought camper, about 1937

Willard's son, Bob, showing off his catch

In 1940, Willard sold his
property and purchased two nearby lots, one of which held a small 1928 cottage.
While the cottage still required use of an outhouse, it felt luxuriously
spacious compared to the campers. Now the family could enjoy quiet mornings
overlooking glass-still water, hot afternoons of swimming, and lingering
twilights all summer. Willard usually stayed in Garrettsville to work during
the week, joining them on weekends.

The old Model T shack made
the move, too. Its hand-cranked engine sprang to life even after years of
disuse. Willard kept it for storage for a few years, finally taking it away during
World War II. Although it would be forgotten until the discovery of a photo
decades later, its legacy was firmly established. Willard’s son and his wife, their
children and grandchildren still gather at the lake for a family reunion every
summer. And while a bathroom was installed in 1983, the place is no bigger than
before. Leading to another dilemma: where does everyone sleep?

Ah, what Willard would have
given for one of these modern beauties, with their slide-out sitting rooms, full
kitchens and baths, and queen-size beds.

Oh my gosh, what a treat to read this, Shelley! I remember garages like Willard's, and Garrettsville, Newton Falls, and Lake Milton are almost like home to me. I wrote a post a while ago about spending summers at Lake Milton, though we never owned a camper like Willard's. Though it was small, I can imagine the delight of having it for use in the summers.

How neat that we share a connection to these places, Nancy! Would love to compare notes and see if we share some of the same names, too. This story has captivated me for a long time, and I'm glad to know it resonated with you.

Shelley -- I'm late to the party but enjoyed the story. In addition, "Garrettsville" seized my attention as Willard would have been contemporary with another local storekeeper, Jethro Potter, who was the main character in my June 2013 NGSQ article. I think he may have kept a grocery, but I am not sure. -- Harold

Harold, your article makes excellent reading for anyone interested in seeing how to pull together a conclusion from conflicting and missing evidence. I hadn't thought about Jethro Potter and Willard Bishop being contemporaries, though. We definitely should explore the Garrettsville connection further.

Thank you for sharing! This my two sons great great grandpa so it's nice to learn some of the biological history on the Bishop side. Their Grandpa Marty passed away when they were both young so I never got the full story about the shop. I had been told it was passed down generation to generation but not sure why it closed completely.

Thanks for your comment! I'm glad this is helping you learn about the Bishops. The garage in Garrettsville never actually closed. Willard's sons Bob and Donald rented it out for years, then sold it a few years ago to a very nice couple who have a thriving auto repair and restoration business. They do a lot of work on vintage cars, and are proud of the history of the shop. I'd be happy to share more with you if you'd like to email me at sbishop@BuckeyeFamilyTrees.com. Welcome!

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About the Author

I'm a family history researcher, writer, and blogger based in Central Ohio. A Sense of Family chronicles my journey into family history, and I'd love to have you read along. In the process, I hope to give you some tips and resources you can use to trace and record the stories of your own family. I also offer professional genealogy services at Buckeye FamilyTrees, where I specialize in researching Ohio ancestors.